Printmaking Workshop

Last weekend I attended a fabulous etching and printmaking workshop with Victoria Atkins of the Wallace House "Press Gang". The workshop was organised by the Caloundra Regional Gallery and held at the Maleny Arts & Craft Group building.

I wanted to attend this one because it was about etching without acid. Whilst I am enamoured of the etching process and the creation of prints; I am somewhat wary about having acid around the house and working with its fumes and burning and exploding potential etc, so have tended not to do much of it - in fact none really for 2 years. We learnt how to etch aluminium plates with a copper sulphate and salt solution.

We also learnt how to create depth of tone in our plates (something that has eluded me previously) and to apply chine colle and colour to our prints.

We worked with a small plate on the first day - testing techniques and different materials to block out the etching - bitumen, car wax, oil pastels, etching ink, contact, lithograph pencils, enamel aerosol paint and so on. We created a plate that was like a sampler of the techniques.  Using some of these techniques I created another small plate and added to it on day 2 with chine colle with used teabag; and colouring the plate with 'the dolly method'.

Overnight I looked at images and came across this piece 'Landline with vessels' by Lorna Crane.

When I looked at it, I realised that it was a perfect example of tone for me and would offer me a good chance to sit and think thru how the different dark and light tones, combined with marks could be created. I thought and thought. And then I wrote a step by step process to myself - trying to ensure that I covered off all the angles.

I was thrilled that I achieved what I set out to do with regard to getting the tones and textures right.  Any new process is tricky to get your head around, and for me the fact that things are reversed when printing, that what you cover up (make dark) will remain the lightest, and what you want dark must remain uncovered and so on, really made me slow down and think, not just do.

I then enjoyed applying colour for different effects; and not completely wiping the ink off the top surface to create lines and movement in a black and white piece. I would still like to do a piece and colour it using the dolly method to see if I can capture the colours as well as the tones of the original.

These pieces are just for me - to look at and reflect on my learnings - but you get to see them too.